Dr.Frances Chung
Dr. Frances Chung, Anesthesiologist, Toronto Western Hospital, is one of the study’s authors. (Photo: UHN)

 

A new study conducted by the Department of Anesthesiology's Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine Research group at Toronto Western Hospital has found that the standard formula used to determine anesthesia dosing to cause unconsciousness in patients can lead to serious under-dosing in patients who are morbidly obese.

Under-dosing is a risk for "accidental awareness," a state where patients regain some form of consciousness during surgery and which occurs in greater numbers among morbidly obese patients.

The team, which includes Drs. Jean Wong, senior author of the study, Frances Chung, David Wong and Mandeep Singh, as well as research coordinator Sazz Islam and clinical epidemiologist Jayadeep Patra, determined that using a bispectral index monitor (BIS) to monitor a patient's brain activity was a more accurate method of confirming whether the patient was still responsive after their anesthesia dosing.

The research was published in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia.

More details from the National Post »

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